The present invention relates to a new, novel, and distinct variety of peach tree, Prunus persica, and which has been denominated varietally as ‘Alpine Delight.’ The present variety of peach tree resulted from an on-going program of fruit breeding. The purpose of this program is to improve the commercial quality of low chill peach and nectarine varieties, by creating and releasing promising selections of Prunus species. To this end, I make both controlled and hybrid cross pollinations each year in order to produce seedling populations from which improved progenies are evaluated and selected.
The seedling, ‘Alpine Delight’ was originated by me, and selected from a population of seedlings growing in my experimental orchard, and which is located near Perth, Western Australia. The seedlings, grown on their own roots, were derived from a cross that I made in 2008 of the white-fleshed, nectarine 4-1WN (unpatented), and the white fleshed peach 3-3WP (unpatented), and which is an early season, white fleshed, non-melting, clingstone peach, and which was the seed parent. As the fruit ripened the resulting seed from, this cross was stratified, germinated, and then was subsequently grown in a greenhouse to an appropriate development stage. Subsequently, the new plants were field planted and then grown for further evaluation. One seedling, which is the present variety, exhibited especially desirable characteristics, and was then designated as ‘YT-5.’ This seedling was marked for subsequent observation. After the 2011 fruiting season, the newly identified variety of peach tree designated as ‘YT-5,’ was formally named ‘Alpine Delight.’ The new variety was then selected for advanced evaluation and re-propagation.